Power grid security

Experts warn extreme space weather would cause £32.5 BILLION blackout across the Earth

Extreme space weather could knock out power grids on Earth costing the USA more than £32.5 billion ($40 billion) in a single day, researchers have warned.

Power networks on Earth can be affected by so-called Coronal Mass Ejections in space which see billions of tonnes of hot gas thrown out of the sun and affect geomagnetic fields on Earth.

Electrical engineering experts are divided over the possible severity of blackouts caused by such an event.

A study led by academics at the University of Cambridge has examined the potential cost of such blackouts, looking at the total incurred in a single day for four different blackout footprints within the USA.